Carnival Results

2012 Junior State Championships Wrap Up

Well, what can I say?  Not the weekend we had all been expecting was it? I must say I have very mixed emotions as I draft this wrap, but we can't do much about the weather can we?  With regard to some of the decisions that were made by the LSV Carnival Committee, there will be a review process which will hopefully result in a) better contingencies for poor weather and b) better organisation of a compromised event.  I am well aware that the vast majority of our Nippers didn't compete in their first event until midday or even later on the Sunday.  Rest assured, every one of the Clubs on the beach faced the same frustrations as us and will all be providing formal feedback to LSV, quite apart from the verbal feedback they received in spades by the team managers at all our weekend meetings.

But, there is no point dwelling on the negatives when there are plenty of positives to celebrate!

First up, Hampton Life Saving Club finished in 11th place, we made 31 finals, won seven team medals and had a further six top six places!!!! To put that result into perspective, last year we won four team medals and one further team placed in the top six, so it is a huge advancement from last year!

The under 9 boys of Charlie, Henry, Nick, Noah and Will (unfortunately Angus and Adam had been looking forward to the individual events) contested the Beach Relay, Wade Relay, Surf Teams and Board Relay.  They were very proud to make the final of the beach relay. With LSV's decision to keep the under 9 water area in the biggest surf, they (along with many other teams) had trouble in the water events but they should be proud that they 'gave it a go'.

The under 9 girls of Chloe Hutton, Chloe Hoover, Isabelle, Lauren, Lucy, Sophie, Charlotte and Summer were equally challenged by the tough conditions but are to be commended for their efforts. A little birdie told me Lauren was particularly stoic facing a huge set of waves in her board relay final. But they all kept smiles on their faces and qualified one team in the beach relay final and another in the wade relay final. Well done, girls!

The under 10 boys are one of our strongest age groups and at Regionals qualified two teams in almost every event. Ben, Charlie, Declan, Dom, Lachlan, Michael, Will and Zac all performed strongly and qualified both teams in the beach relay and aqua cameron and one team in the wade and surf teams. They picked up a bronze medal in the beach relay, aqua cameron and surf teams. Fantastic guys, the biggest medal haul across the Hampton age groups!

The under 10 girls of Isabella, Georgia, Juliette, Amelia D, Amelia G, Chiara, Tamsyn and Ellen specialise in team spirit and took the challenges of the day in their stride. Isabella and Georgia competed in every event they could, despite the big surf, making their parents particularly proud of their gutsy efforts. Tamsyn deserves special mention for completing the board course to help qualify the team into the final, despite getting absolutely smashed by a big set - go you, Tamsyn! While they didn't come away with any medals, they did us proud and even took advantage of all the spare time to come up with a team chant. We can't wait to hear it on Saturday! 

The under 11 girls of Annaliese, Chloe, Emily, Erin, Jamie, Katie, Lucy, Olivia and Ruby had all been fully charged for the individual events on the Saturday, especially since they are an uneven number and were always going to need to 'share the love' across the team events. But they are the most fantastic girls who enjoy each other's company and they kept their spirits high while they waited for a chance to compete. A highlight of the day was watching the B wade team do so well in their heat (all that training does pay off!). Both teams contested the final and should be very proud of themselves. They also qualified one team in the board relay and aqua cameron, getting a credible 6th place in the board relay. Well done girls!

The under 12 boys of Cameron, Hamish, Jesse, Lucas and Owen had a tough day in the surf with conditions testing them. But they qualified for the final of the beach relay and should be proud of their fourth place, especially given the lousy lane drawn. Come back strong and hungry, boys!

The Under 12 girls of Alida, Annabelle, Phoebe, Sarah, Sienna and Taylor welcomed Emmie to the States team and had high hopes for a few medals both on the beach and in the water. It was always looking promising in the heats of the water events but they just missed out on medalling in the finals. However, the girls should be very proud to have contested seven finals!  They were a credible fourth in the surf teams, sixth in the aqua cameron and the team of Sienna and Sarah finished fifth in the belt and reel.  Well done, girls! At 5pm, with pack up occurring around them, it didn't look like they were going to get the chance to defend their 2011 beach relay medal but with a whole lot of dissent from team managers (and a pleading chant from the competitors - who suggested that!?) organisers reluctantly conceded and the girls finally picked up the medal they had been so desperate for all day. Great effort girls and bring on 2013!

The under 13 girls of Isabella, Bridgette, Lara and Sophie, welcomed Alana and Ashleigh to their first States. It was a fantastic effort by all the U.13 girls making four finals out of the six events contested. Second in the Beach Relay, third in the Belt & Reel, tenth in the Aqua Cameron and a brilliant eighth in the Surf Teams particularly as the final was held less than ten minutes after the girls qualifying heat. Thank you all for making my day!

And finally, the Under 14s of Anna, Courtney, Tori, Jemima and team captain Sophie are smiling from ear to ear with their bronze medal in the surf teams! Great effort, girls. 

Thanks so much to everyone who helped out in every way possible - from water safety, to officiating, age managers, equipment handlers and even just for consoling your children through the disappointment of Saturday and the frustrations of Sunday. It was really heartening to see Hampton Nippers with smiles on their faces throughout the day. The Saturday evening dinner get together at the Grand Pacific Hotel showed just how much of a team the Hampton Carnival Crew truly is.